Pita Bread

Pita is a slightly leavened wheat bread, flat, either round or oval, and variable in size. It is used in Middle East cuisine. Pita is used to scoop sauces or dips such as hummus and to wrap kebabs in the manner of sandwiches. Most pita are baked at high temperatures, causing the flattened rounds of dough to puff up dramatically. When removed from the oven, the layers of baked dough remain separated inside the deflated pita, which allows the bread to be opened into pockets, creating a space for use in various dishes.

This is my 3rd batch of pita bread. The reason of making several batches is can't get it right at the first and second batch. After read from here I found that the moisture of dough, temperature of oven and the way of rolling out the dough will affect the outcome of pita bread. After taking care of these important tips I manage to get nice pocket for my pita bread.

Adapted from 阿芳老师的三杯面粉cookbook

Pita Bread (Hand kneading; yields 6 pieces)

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

½cup wholewheat flour

1 tablespoon sugar

¾ teaspoons instant yeast

¼ teaspoon salt

120ml water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Methods:

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, instant yeast, salt together with a spatula. Pour in water and oil. Then mix around till most of the dry ingredients are incorporated with the liquid.

2. Knead by hands till form smooth and soft dough. Shape into a ball, cover with a cloth and let proof for 1 hour.

3. Press the dough down into a circle with evenly thickness. Divide the circle into 6 equal pieces with scraper. Shape them into round. Cover and let it rest for another 5 minutes.

4. Roll them out into circle with ½ cm thick, transfer onto the baking tray. Transfer the pita bread straight away into preheated oven at 250C and bake for 5-6 minutes or till see the air pockets puff up.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest: West Asia hosted by Shannon from Just As Delish.